Variation in Growth Rates under Saline Conditions of Pascopyrum smithii (Western Wheatgrass) and Distichlis spicata (Inland Saltgrass) from Different Source Populations in Kansas and Nebraska: Implications for the Restoration of Salt-Affected Plant Communities

Soil salinization resulting from agricultural and oil‐ and gas‐production activities can impact habitats of native flora and fauna and reduce production on agricultural lands. Restoration of saline areas with salt‐tolerant vegetation may alleviate impacts. However, differences in how the growth rate under saline conditions varies between species and source populations must first be evaluated before recommending species for restoration. Plant material of Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) and Inland saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) collected from Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve, Kansas and Little Salt Fork Marsh, Nebraska was propagated to evaluate variation in growth rates between these species under saline conditions and determine if differences exist between populations within these species. Ten transplants of each species from each location were grown in sand culture in a greenhouse for 51 days and watered with one of five different saltwater solutions (0.86 dS/m, 9.85 dS/m, 17.85 dS/m, 32.5 dS/m, and 57.7 dS/m). Results indicate that P. smithii grew faster than D. spicata at all comparable salinity levels. Only D. spicata exhibited significant differences in growth rate under saline conditions between populations. Results suggest that P. smithii is equivalent to D. spicata in salt tolerance and should be regarded as an appropriate halophyte for restoration of salt‐affected plant environments. Results for D. spicata suggest that differences between source populations should be considered when evaluating plant material for plant community restoration.     

放射性污染对铀矿区土壤微生物群落结构的影响

为探究放射性及其伴生污染对铀矿区附近土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响，采集退役铀矿冶周围不同辐射值的土壤为研究对象，通过测定其土壤理化性质、土壤可培养微生物计数及Biolog-ECO微孔板培养，分析土壤放射性污染程度及理化性质对土壤微生物群落功能多样性和数量的影响。结果表明，矿区放射性污染土壤中重金属含量普遍较高，尤其是铅已超出管控标准。随着辐射值的增加，土壤中可培养微生物数量显著下降，特别是放线菌和真菌的数量；微生物群落功能多样性指数、物种丰富度指数、优势度、均一性指数显著下降；对碳源利用也逐渐下降，尤其是对酚酸类和胺类碳源，利用率分别下降25.8%、29.7%。RDA分析发现放射性核素是该区域驱动土壤微生物群落代谢发生变化的主要因素。铀矿区放射性污染及伴随的重金属污染明显改变土壤微生物群落结构，抑制了土壤微生物群落的代谢活性，造成土壤微生物群落功能多样性下降。     

Effects of Stimulation of Copper Bioleaching on Microbial Community in Vineyard Soil and Copper Mining Waste

Long-term copper application in vineyards and copper mining activities cause heavy metal pollution sites. Such sites need remediation to protect soil and water quality. Bioremediation of contaminated areas through bioleaching can help to remove copper ions from the contaminated soils. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of different treatments for copper bioleaching in two diverse copper-contaminated soils (a 40-year-old vineyard and a copper mining waste) and to evaluate the effect on microbial community by applying denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S ribosomal DNA amplicons and DNA sequence analysis. Several treatments with HCl, H₂SO₄, and FeSO₄ were evaluated by stimulation of bioleaching of copper in the soils. Treatments and extractions using FeSO₄ and H₂SO₄ mixture at 30°C displayed more copper leaching than extractions with deionized water at room temperature. Treatment with H₂SO₄ supported bioleaching of as much as 120 mg kg⁻¹ of copper from vineyard soil after 115 days of incubation. DGGE analysis of the treatments revealed that some treatments caused greater diversity of microorganisms in the vineyard soil compared to the copper mining waste. Nucleotide Blast of PCR-amplified fragments of 16S rRNA gene bands from DGGE indicated the presence of Rhodobacter sp., Silicibacter sp., Bacillus sp., Paracoccus sp., Pediococcus sp., a Myxococcales, Clostridium sp., Thiomonas sp., a firmicute, Caulobacter vibrioides, Serratia sp., and an actinomycetales in vineyard soil. Contrarily, Sphingomonas was the predominant genus in copper mining waste in most treatments. Paracoccus sp. and Enterobacter sp. were also identified from DGGE bands of the copper mining waste. Paracoccus species is involved in the copper bioleaching by sulfur oxidation system, liberating the copper bounded in the soils and hence promoting copper bioremediation. Results indicate that stimulation of bioleaching with a combination of FeSO₄ and H₂SO₄ promoted bioleaching in the soils and can be employed ex situ to remediate copper-impacted soils.     

Effects of Picoxystrobin and 4-n-Nonylphenol on Soil Microbial Community Structure and Respiration Activity

There is widespread use of chemical amendments to meet the demands for increased productivity in agriculture. Potentially toxic compounds, single or in mixtures, are added to the soil medium on a regular basis, while the ecotoxicological risk assessment procedures mainly follow a chemical by chemical approach. Picoxystrobin is a fungicide that has caused concern due to studies showing potentially detrimental effects to soil fauna (earthworms), while negative effects on soil microbial activities (nitrification, respiration) are shown to be transient. Potential mixture situations with nonylphenol, a chemical frequently occurring as a contaminant in sewage sludge used for land application, infer a need to explore whether these chemicals in mixture could alter the potential effects of picoxystrobin on the soil microflora. The main objective of this study was to assess the effects of picoxystrobin and nonylphenol, as single chemicals and mixtures, on soil microbial community structure and respiration activity in an agricultural sandy loam. Effects of the chemicals were assessed through measurements of soil microbial respiration activity and soil bacterial and fungal community structure fingerprints, together with a degradation study of the chemicals, through a 70 d incubation period. Picoxystrobin caused a decrease in the respiration activity, while 4-n-nonylphenol caused an increase in respiration activity concurring with a rapid degradation of the substance. Community structure fingerprints were also affected, but these results could not be directly interpreted in terms of positive or negative effects, and were indicated to be transient. Treatment with the chemicals in mixture caused less evident changes and indicated antagonistic effects between the chemicals in soil. In conclusion, the results imply that the application of the fungicide picoxystrobin and nonylphenol from sewage sludge application to agricultural soil in environmentally relevant concentrations, as single chemicals or in mixture, will not cause irreversible effects on soil microbial respiration and community structure.     

Soil Microbial Community Response to Land Use Change in an Agricultural Landscape of Western Kenya

Tropical agroecosystems are subject to degradation processes such as losses in soil carbon, nutrient depletion, and reduced water holding capacity that occur rapidly resulting in a reduction in soil fertility that can be difficult to reverse. In this research, a polyphasic methodology has been used to investigate changes in microbial community structure and function in a series of tropical soils in western Kenya. These soils have different land usage with both wooded and agricultural soils at Kakamega and Ochinga, whereas at Ochinga, Leuro, Teso, and Ugunja a replicated field experiment compared traditional continuous maize cropping against an improved N-fixing fallow system. For all sites, principal component analysis of 16S rRNA gene denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles revealed that soil type was the key determinant of total bacterial community structure, with secondary variation found between wooded and agricultural soils. Similarly, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis also separated wooded from agricultural soils, primarily on the basis of higher abundance of monounsaturated fatty acids, anteiso- and iso-branched fatty acids, and methyl-branched fatty acids in the wooded soils. At Kakamega and Ochinga wooded soils had between five 5 and 10-fold higher levels of soil carbon and microbial biomass carbon than agricultural soils from the same location, whereas total enzyme activities were also lower in the agricultural sites. Soils with woody vegetation had a lower percentage of phosphatase activity and higher cellulase and chitinase activities than the agricultural soils. BIOLOG analysis showed woodland soils to have the greatest substrate diversity. Throughout the study the two functional indicators (enzyme activity and BIOLOG), however, showed lower specificity with respect to soil type and land usage than did the compositional indicators (DGGE and PLFA). In the field experiment comparing two types of maize cropping, both the maize yields and total microbial biomass were found to increase with the fallow system. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene and PLFA analyses revealed shifts in the total microbial community in response to the different management regimes, indicating that deliberate management of soils can have considerable impact on microbial community structure and function in tropical soils.     

Microbial Community Structure and Density Under Different Tree Species in an Acid Forest Soil (Morvan, France)

Overexploitation of forests to increase wood production has led to the replacement of native forest by large areas of monospecific tree plantations. In the present study, the effects of different monospecific tree cover plantations on density and composition of the indigenous soil microbial community are described. The experimental site of “Breuil-Chenue” in the Morvan (France) was the site of a comparison of a similar mineral soil under Norway spruce (Picea abies), Douglas fir (Pseudotuga menziesii), oak (Quercus sessiflora), and native forest [mixed stand dominated by oak and beech (Fagus sylvatica)]. Sampling was performed during winter (February) at three depths (0–5, 5–10, and 10–15 cm). Abundance of microorganisms was estimated via microbial biomass measurements, using the fumigation–extraction method. The genetic structure of microbial communities was investigated using the bacterial- and fungal-automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (B-ARISA and F-ARISA, respectively) DNA fingerprint. Only small differences in microbial biomass were observed between tree species, the highest values being recorded under oak forest and the lowest under Douglas fir. B- and F-ARISA community profiles of the different tree covers clustered separately, but noticeable similarities were observed for soils under Douglas fir and oak. A significant stratification was revealed under each tree species by a decrease in microbial biomass with increasing depths and by distinct microbial communities for each soil layer. Differences in density and community composition according to tree species and depth were related to soil physicochemical characteristics and organic matter composition.     

Effect of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles on Microbial Community Structure and Function in Two Different Soil Types

Increased availability of nanoparticle-based products will, inevitably, expose the environment to these materials. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) may thus find their way into the soil environment via wastewater, dumpsters and other anthropogenic sources; metallic oxide nanoparticles comprise one group of ENPs that could potentially be hazardous for the environment. Because the soil bacterial community is a major service provider for the ecosystem and humankind, it is critical to study the effects of ENP exposure on soil bacteria. These effects were evaluated by measuring bacterial community activity, composition and size following exposure to copper oxide (CuO) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanosized (<50 nm) particles. Two different soil types were examined: a sandy loam (Bet-Dagan) and a sandy clay loam (Yatir), under two ENP concentrations (1%, 0.1%). Results indicate that the bacterial community in Bet-Dagan soil was more susceptible to change due to exposure to these ENPs, relative to Yatir soil. More specifically, CuO had a strong effect on bacterial hydrolytic activity, oxidative potential, community composition and size in Bet-Dagan soil. Few effects were noted in the Yatir soil, although 1% CuO exposure did cause a significant decreased oxidative potential and changes to community composition. Fe₃O₄ changed the hydrolytic activity and bacterial community composition in Bet-Dagan soil but did not affect the Yatir soil bacterial community. Furthermore, in Bet-Dagan soil, abundance of bacteria annotated to OTUs from the Bacilli class decreased after addition of 0.1% CuO but increased with 1% CuO, while in Yatir soil their abundance was reduced with 1% CuO. Other important soil bacterial groups, including Rhizobiales and Sphingobacteriaceae, were negatively affected by CuO addition to soil. These results indicate that both ENPs are potentially harmful to soil environments. Furthermore, it is suggested that the clay fraction and organic matter in different soils interact with the ENPs and reduce their toxicity.     

不同施肥处理对玉米-小麦轮作土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响

土壤微生物多样性能反应土壤的肥力,不同的施肥措施对土壤微生物的种群和功能多样性也会产生重要的影响。以山东德州连续两年小麦季和玉米季收获后土壤为研究对象,利用Biolog技术研究了6种不同施肥处理对土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响。结果表明:其中各个施肥处理的平均颜色变化率(average well color development,AWCD)差异显著,常规氮磷钾肥+全量秸秆还田+秸秆腐熟剂(FS)处理代谢活性最高;物种丰富度指数(H)和均匀度指数(E)也表明各施肥方式均能够维持微生物种群的多样性,其中FS和30%猪粪+70%常规氮磷钾肥(OF)处理物种丰富度指数(H)和均匀度指数(E)最高;PCA及RDA分析显示,OF和FS处理微生物功能多样性相似,且其微生物功能多样性与有机质(Soil organic matter,SOM)、全氮(Total N,TN)、速效磷(Available P,AP)和速效钾(Available K,AK)密切相关。猪粪堆肥有机无机复合肥3 600 kg/hm2(OI2)处理与猪粪堆肥有机无机复合肥1 800 kg/hm2(OI1)处理相似,其功能多样性比常规施肥(CF)处理稍高。综上所述,OF处理和FS处理的土壤微生物群落功能多样性程度高于其他处理,说明秸秆还田+秸秆腐熟剂和有机肥部分替代氮磷钾肥能够显著提高土壤微生物功能多样性,有利于保护土壤微生态。     

Effects of Different Chinese Hickory Husk Returning Modes on Soil Nutrition and Microbial Community in Acid Forest Soil

Chinese hickory (Carya cathayensis Sarg.) is an important economic forest in Southeastern China. A large amount of hickory husk waste is generated every year but with a low proportion of returning. Meanwhile, intensive management has resulted in soil degradation of Chinese hickory plantations. This study aims to investigate the effects of three Chinese hickory husk returning modes on soil amendment, including soil acidity, soil nutrition, and microbial community. The field experiment carried out four treatments: control (CK), hickory husk mulching (HM), hickory husk biochar (BC), and hickory husk organic fertilizer (OF). The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarker method was employed to determine the soil microbial community. After one year of treatment, the results showed that: (i) HM and BC significantly increased soil pH by 0.33 and 1.71 units, respectively; (ii) HM, BC and OF treatments significantly increased the soil organic carbon, alkaline nitrogen, available phosphorous, and available potassium. The OF treatment demonstrated the most significant improvement in the soil nutrient; (iii) The soil microbial biomass significantly increased in the HM, BC and OF treatments, and all microbial groups showed an increasing trend. HM treatment increased the fungal/bacterial ratio (F/B). The OF treatment significantly decreased the Shannon-Wiener diversity (H’) and evenness index (J) of the microbial community (P < 0.05). Considering the treatments effects, costs, and ease of operation, our recommended returning modes of Chinese hickory husk are mulching and organic fertilizer produced by composting with manure.     

Effects of Manure Compost Application on Soil Microbial Community Diversity and Soil Microenvironments in a Temperate Cropland in China

The long-term application of excessive chemical fertilizers has resulted in the degeneration of soil quality parameters such as soil microbial biomass, communities, and nutrient content, which in turn affects crop health, productivity, and soil sustainable productivity. The objective of this study was to develop a rapid and efficient solution for rehabilitating degraded cropland soils by precisely quantifying soil quality parameters through the application of manure compost and bacteria fertilizers or its combination during maize growth. We investigated dynamic impacts on soil microbial count, biomass, basal respiration, community structure diversity, and enzyme activity using six different treatments [no fertilizer (CK), N fertilizer (N), N fertilizer + bacterial fertilizer (NB), manure compost (M), manure compost + bacterial fertilizer (MB), and bacterial fertilizer (B)] in the plowed layer (0–20 cm) of potted soil during various maize growth stages in a temperate cropland of eastern China. Denaturing gradient electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting analysis showed that the structure and composition of bacterial and fungi communities in the six fertilizer treatments varied at different levels. The Shannon index of bacterial and fungi communities displayed the highest value in the MB treatments and the lowest in the N treatment at the maize mature stage. Changes in soil microorganism community structure and diversity after different fertilizer treatments resulted in different microbial properties. Adding manure compost significantly increased the amount of cultivable microorganisms and microbial biomass, thus enhancing soil respiration and enzyme activities (p<0.01), whereas N treatment showed the opposite results (p<0.01). However, B and NB treatments minimally increased the amount of cultivable microorganisms and microbial biomass, with no obvious influence on community structure and soil enzymes. Our findings indicate that the application of manure compost plus bacterial fertilizers can immediately improve the microbial community structure and diversity of degraded cropland soils.     

Soil Microbial Community Responses to Additions of Organic Carbon Substrates and Heavy Metals (Pb and Cr)

Microcosm experiments were conducted with soils contaminated with heavy metals (Pb and Cr) and aromatic hydrocarbons to determine the effects of each upon microbial community structure and function. Organic substrates were added as a driving force for change in the microbial community. Glucose represented an energy source used by a broad variety of bacteria, whereas fewer soil species were expected to use xylene. The metal amendments were chosen to inhibit the acute rate of organic mineralization by either 50% or 90%, and lower mineralization rates persisted over the entire 31-day incubation period. Significant biomass increases were abolished when metals were added in addition to organic carbon. The addition of organic carbon alone had the most significant impact on community composition and led to the proliferation of a few dominant phylotypes, as detected by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. However, the community-wide effects of heavy metal addition differed between the two carbon sources. For glucose, either Pb or Cr produced large changes and replacement with new phylotypes. In contrast, many phylotypes selected by xylene treatment were retained when either metal was added. Members of the Actinomycetales were very prevalent in microcosms with xylene and Cr(VI); gene copy numbers of biphenyl dioxygenase and phenol hydroxylase (but not other oxygenases) were elevated in these microcosms, as determined by real-time PCR. Much lower metal concentrations were needed to inhibit the catabolism of xylene than of glucose. Cr(VI) appeared to be reduced during the 31-day incubations, but in the case of glucose there was substantial microbial activity when much of the Cr(VI) remained. In the case of xylene, this was less clear.     

微生物菌肥对寒地大豆根围土壤细菌群落和产量的影响

通过施用微生物菌肥研究寒地大豆根围土壤细菌多样性和群落组成,缓解因长期施用化肥和农药带来的土壤问题。以大豆合农69为研究对象,设置6个处理：施用大豆专用肥、颗粒肥、复合菌肥、减施15%化肥配施颗粒肥、减施15%化肥配施微生物复合颗粒肥和空白对照,采用高通量测序技术分析大豆荚期根围土壤细菌多样性和群落组成;采用传统统计学方法对株高、荚数、粒数和产量进行统计。门水平放线菌门(Actinobacteria)、变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)、绿弯菌门(Chloroflexi)、芽单胞菌门(Gemmatimonadetes)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)、Patescibacteria和WPS-2为优势菌门。其中减施15%化肥配施颗粒肥处理的优势菌门为变形菌门,其他几个处理的优势菌门为放线菌门;目、科和属水平Gaiellales/Other、酸杆菌目(Acidobacteriales/Other)、Frankiales/Other、鞘脂单胞菌属(Sphingomonas)、嗜酸栖热菌属(Acidothermus)、芽单胞菌属(Gemma...     

Effects of Lactose on Colon Microbial Community Structure and Function in a Four-Stage Semi-Continuous Culture System

A semi-continuous four-channel colon simulator was used to study the effects of lactose for the first time on the growth and fermentation dynamics of colonic microbiota. In six separate simulations, lactose supplementation increased the total SCFA concentration by 3–5 fold as compared with the baseline in the respective vessels. The total bacterial density was inversely correlated with lactic acid production (P=0.003), while production of butyrate (P=0.007) and propionate (P=0.02) correlated with higher numbers of bacteria. A major shift in the microbial community structure in the lactose supplemented vessels was demonstrated by bacterial genomic %G+C-profiling of the total population, where lactose supplementation induced a clearly dominant peak in the bifidobacteria prominent area, %G+C 60–65. The transient shift to increased numbers of bifidobacteria (23–27%) of all bacteria in the first two vessels was also confirmed by the bifidobacteria-specific QPCR-method. In conclusion, lactose produced dramatic changes in microbiota composition and activity as compared with the baseline fermentation.     

Effects of Soil Organic Matter Properties and Microbial Community Composition on Enzyme Activities in Cryoturbated Arctic Soils

Enzyme-mediated decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) is controlled, amongst other factors, by organic matter properties and by the microbial decomposer community present. Since microbial community composition and SOM properties are often interrelated and both change with soil depth, the drivers of enzymatic decomposition are hard to dissect. We investigated soils from three regions in the Siberian Arctic, where carbon rich topsoil material has been incorporated into the subsoil (cryoturbation). We took advantage of this subduction to test if SOM properties shape microbial community composition, and to identify controls of both on enzyme activities. We found that microbial community composition (estimated by phospholipid fatty acid analysis), was similar in cryoturbated material and in surrounding subsoil, although carbon and nitrogen contents were similar in cryoturbated material and topsoils. This suggests that the microbial community in cryoturbated material was not well adapted to SOM properties. We also measured three potential enzyme activities (cellobiohydrolase, leucine-amino-peptidase and phenoloxidase) and used structural equation models (SEMs) to identify direct and indirect drivers of the three enzyme activities. The models included microbial community composition, carbon and nitrogen contents, clay content, water content, and pH. Models for regular horizons, excluding cryoturbated material, showed that all enzyme activities were mainly controlled by carbon or nitrogen. Microbial community composition had no effect. In contrast, models for cryoturbated material showed that enzyme activities were also related to microbial community composition. The additional control of microbial community composition could have restrained enzyme activities and furthermore decomposition in general. The functional decoupling of SOM properties and microbial community composition might thus be one of the reasons for low decomposition rates and the persistence of 400 Gt carbon stored in cryoturbated material.     

The Effects of Soil Bacterial Community Structure on Decomposition in a Tropical Rain Forest

Soil microorganisms are key drivers of terrestrial biogeochemical cycles, yet it is still unclear how variations in soil microbial community composition influence many ecosystem processes. We investigated how shifts in bacterial community composition and diversity resulting from differences in carbon (C) availability affect organic matter decomposition by conducting an in situ litter manipulation experiment in a tropical rain forest in Costa Rica. We used bar-coded pyrosequencing to characterize soil bacterial community composition in litter manipulation plots and performed a series of laboratory incubations to test the potential functional significance of community shifts on organic matter decomposition. Despite clear effects of the litter manipulation on soil bacterial community composition, the treatments had mixed effects on microbial community function. Distinct communities varied in their ability to decompose a wide range of C compounds, and functional differences were related to both the relative abundance of the two most abundant bacterial sub-phyla (Acidobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria) and to variations in bacterial alpha-diversity. However, distinct communities did not differ in their ability to decompose native dissolved organic matter (DOM) substrates that varied in quality and quantity. Our results show that although resource-driven shifts in soil bacterial community composition have the potential to influence decomposition of specific C substrates, those differences may not translate to differences in DOM decomposition rates in situ. Taken together, our results suggest that soil bacterial communities may be either functionally dissimilar or equivalent during decomposition depending on the nature of the organic matter being decomposed.     

Community Structure (Niche Limitation and Guild Proportionality) in Relation to the Effect of Spatial Scale, in a

A Nothofagus-dominated rainforest in eastern Fiordland, New Zealand, was sampled by shoot frequency in contiguous 1 x 1 m quadrats, along a topologically-circular transect. The data were analysed at five scales up to 5 x 1 m, to search for assembly rules, i.e., generalised restrictions on species co- occurrences. There was no evidence of niche limitation in terms of the whole community, at any scale examined. Rather, variance in species richness was greater than expected from a null model, suggesting environmental heterogeneity. This conclusion was confirmed by using a patch-model. Guild structure was examined in terms of synusiae, based on vertical stratification. The proportion of species in a quadrat that were from the Herb guild was significantly more constant than expected under the null model. However, using a patch-model this effect was reduced, and no longer significant. This suggests pools of species adapted to different micro- environments, but with parallel guild composition. Liane guild proportions were more variable than predicted by the null model; although this effect was not significant, it parallels reports from other South Island forests. The work confirms conclusions from previous work, that plant assembly rules are to be found only at small spatial scales. Processes leading to high and low variance in species richness and in guild proportions are discussed. Selection of a uniform site in the present work, and use of a patch-model, make it less likely that effects are due to environmental or historical effects. The use of guild proportionality as the criterion eliminates the effect of limitation on the number of individuals that can co-occur locally.     

Growth Response of Coyote Willow (Salix exigua) Cuttings in Relation to Alluvial Soil Texture and Water Availability

A common approach to re‐establishing cottonwood–willow habitat along regulated rivers is through installing dormant, rootless cuttings, yet there is little published information exploring floodplain characteristics that optimize growth of southwestern riparian willows planted in this manner. The goal of this project was to evaluate relationships between growth attributes of Salix exigua and soil texture and soil water availability. Monitoring plots were established in five willow swales planted with dormant S. exigua cuttings along the banks of the Middle Rio Grande in central New Mexico. Data analysis revealed significantly higher aerial cover, height, and stem density for S. exigua plants installed in plots with intermediate levels (15–25%) of fine textured soils distributed through the soil profile. Similar relationships were found in relation to soil water availability. Regression analysis of percent fines and available water at different depth increments provided limited explanation of variability in willow growth attributes at different plots. Findings indicate that S. exigua plants established from cuttings can achieve heights and aerial cover values similar to naturally established willow bars if the floodplain soil profile contains intermediate levels of fine textured soils and the maximum depth to groundwater is within 1.5 m of the ground surface. Where sites are dominated by coarse sand, S. exigua growth may be improved if maximum depth to groundwater is within 1 m of the ground surface.